The Only Starter You Need
Ingredients
- • Flour (any unbleached flour works)
- • Water (room temp, tap is fine unless heavily chlorinated)
- • Time (nature does the heavy lifting)
Instructions
- Day 1: Mix equal parts flour and water (50g each). Stir well. Cover loosely. Sit in a warm spot. Ignore for 24 hours.
- Pro tip: Cold house? Put your jar in the oven with just the light on. Creates a cozy 75-80°F environment. (Don't actually turn the oven on. Just the light. Trust me on this.)
- Days 2-5: Discard half (toss about 50g), feed with 50g flour + 50g water. Stir well. Repeat daily at the same time.
- Day 6: If it doubles in 4-8 hours after feeding, it's ready. If not, keep going.
Mom Tips
Signs it's working: Bubbles, pleasant sour smell, rises predictably.
Signs it's NOT working: Pink/orange color (toss and restart), zero bubbles after a week (check your water and flour).
Pro tip: Name your starter. I'm not saying it makes better bread, but I'm also not NOT saying that.